Break Up with Him, for Me: A ‘Friends to Lovers’ Romance
Page 20
“None,” I said. “I’m flying back home.”
“Why so soon?”
“I have some personal business to handle.”
“You’re not the slightest bit interested in hanging out with me before I have to completely lock in for the fight of my life?”
I’m more interested in your sister. “I have plans.”
“Some best friend you are.” He feigned hurt and pulled a folded paper from his back pocket. “Guess who I spotted on the cover of Page Six this morning?”
“Whatever they wrote about me, it isn’t true.”
“You weren’t important enough to make the cover this time.” He unfolded it, revealing a stunning photo of Penelope and Simon staring at each other on the dance floor.
The words “New York’s Newest Bachelor Dances the Night Away at Hayden Hunter’s Annual Gala” graced the top of the page.
“I spent a few minutes researching her date this morning, and he looks like he totally has his shit together.” He smiled. “This might be the first boyfriend of hers that I actually approve. Do you like him?”
“They broke up already.” I didn’t want to acknowledge Simon Gaines’ existence ever again. “That was nothing more than a cordial photo opp. She’s dating someone else now.”
“Okay then … Is the ‘someone else’ a better guy?”
“A much better guy.”
“Cool.” He shrugged. “You know, sometimes I feel a tad bit jealous that she tells you more about her personal life than me.”
“That’s because I’ve never threatened to murder any of her boyfriends.”
“I only did that one time.”
“You’ve done it six times.”
“Those don’t count if I never made it to prison.” He instantly confirmed how unhinged he was. “Thanks for still being there for her whenever I can’t be, though.”
“No problem.”
“I really mean that, man.” He looked genuine. “I owe you a huge one, and I’m still trying to figure out a way to pay you back someday. If you were the one who’d lost your parents and had a little sister—”
“I would’ve never left her anywhere near you.”
“Yeah, true.” He laughed. “What the hell was I thinking back then? Anyway—how about joining me at the strip club before you leave?”
“I literally just told you that I have plans, Travis.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure that Lawrence can wait a few hours.”
“My girlfriend can’t.”
“Your what?” He looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. “What did you say?”
“I said, my girlfriend can’t wait.”
“Is this some type of fake arrangement for your image or something?”
“No, it’s the real deal.” I held back a sigh, knowing that the time to discuss dating Penelope would be long after Vegas. “I’ll introduce her to you later.”
“But like … Given your track record with monogamy and shit, you probably won’t last that long with her anyway, so can we still go to the strip club together?”
“Goodbye, Travis.” I patted his shoulder before heading towards the door. “I’ll see you in Vegas.”
Thirty-One
Present Day
Penelope
It took me fifteen orgasms to realize that I needed to do some real work before I spent the rest of my life in bed with Hayden.
While he stepped into my shower, I slipped away to the ice rink and found an envelope from U.S. Figure Skating waiting on my desk.
I’d been staring at it for over an hour now, brewing fresh cups of coffee while wondering what was inside.
“Open it already,” Tatiana said. “I need to know if it’s my biggest fear come true.”
“Why would the figure skating association send me a letter about you?”
“I don’t know, but I sometimes have nightmares that they’re going to give you this grand award with a special, over the top ceremony for being the best skater in the sport.”
“Glad you can finally admit that I was the best.” I smiled. “Took you long enough.”
“I didn’t mean it.” She eyed the envelope. “Open it, will you?”
I picked up a pen and sliced the top, pulling out a bright blue sheet.
Dear Miss Carter,
* * *
As the most decorated female singles skater and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, we wanted to reach out to you about a rule change regarding the upcoming winter games in Beijing, China.
* * *
Per the International Olympic Committee, qualified coaches of individual athlete sports will now be eligible to receive medals.
* * *
Unfortunately, the coach for candidate Katie Folds is now banned from our organization, and we are hoping to replace him with someone who respects our sport at the highest level.
* * *
Per structural changes we’ve made (and the earlier date for the World Championships that began last year), the top choices will train at the Edwin Compound in Salt Lake City, Utah for four months before traveling to Beijing.
* * *
If you’re interested in this opportunity, please contact me at your earliest convenience to go over the updated rules and terms for our organization. (I’m sure you’ve kept up with them. This is a formality.)
* * *
The chase for 28 continues …
* * *
Deborah Walsh
* * *
I dropped the paper to the floor, and Tatiana quickly picked it up to read.
Her eyes widened with every word, and she let out a breath once she reached the end.
“Wow,” she said. “You’re totally doing this, right?”
“I need to think about it.”
“Why?” She crossed her arms. “This cements your legacy and gets you bragging rights forever, especially since Katie Folds will definitely get on that podium.”
“Exactly.” I sipped the coffee. “If the rule change is permanent, I’d rather coach someone I really helped to get there. It would mean more.”
She stepped closer and pressed her hand against my neck. “You know, I was about to check for a pulse, to make sure you’re alive, but—” Her lips curved into a smile. “There are red marks all over your neck, so I think this is the post-gala sex with Simon talking.”
“We can discuss what day you’re calling to accept their offer later.” She plopped down on a chair. “Give me all the dirty details with Simon, full play by play.”
“I didn’t have sex with Simon.”
“Ugh, come on.” She crossed her arms. “That’s how you want to play this?”
“It’s true,” I said. “I mean, I did have sex.”
“Clearly.”
“It wasn’t with him, though.”
She gasped. “You met some other guy that night? Who?”
“Hey.” Hayden’s deep voice suddenly filled the room and made me look toward the door.
My cheeks heated as he strolled inside, and my body reacted at the sight of him in dark grey sweats and a white T-shirt.
He set my keys down on the desk, and I had an instant flashback of hours ago when he was making me ride his hand in the shower.
“You might need those later,” he said. “Don’t you think?”
“Yes,” I said, clearing my throat. “Thank you for bringing those here, Hayden. As you can see, I am busy speaking with Tatiana at this moment.”
“I can see that.” His lips curved into a smirk. “You left me, so I was checking to make sure you were alright.”
“Yes, I left you at the coffee cafe—because that’s where we were earlier.” I tried to act natural. “I’ll call you later to discuss more coffee.”
He looked as if he was about to lean over the desk and kiss me—to kill my fumbling ruse on the spot, but he laughed and left the room.
“Okay,” Tatiana said. “Now, back to the guy you had sex with this weekend. You said you were never the o
ne-night stand type, so—” She stopped talking and tilted her head to the side. Then she sucked in a breath. “You fucked Hayden, didn’t you?”
“No.” My cheeks heated again. “No, I did not fuck Hayden.”
“You did!” She saw right through me. “Did his entire cock even fit inside of you? Did it feel good? No, wait. Don’t answer that yet. Tell me everything—and I do mean down to every second, from the time Simon picked you up until now.”
“Can I tell you after I get done coaching my client?”
“Ha! No.” She pointed to the window behind me, where my “client” was coordinating her umpteenth TikTok video on the ice instead of doing a warm-up. “She’s only here because of her rich parents and you know it. Get to the sex recap. Now.”
Two hours later, Tatiana fanned herself with a binder.
“Well, damn,” she said. “I feel the sudden need to go home and have a date with my vibrator.”
“I didn’t need to know that.”
“Of course you did.” She laughed. “That way, you can go to his place and have more sex to tell me about later. Are you two an item now?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “But please don’t tell anyone.”
“Who would I have to tell?”
“Good point, sorry. I just want to make sure my brother doesn’t know until later.” Much later.
“I fucking hate your brother.” She stood to her feet. “He used to leave me ‘You’ll never outrank my sister’ and ‘How does it feel to be number two again?’ voicemails after every competition.”
“Really?” I smiled. “He never told me that. That was sweet of him.”
She gave me a blank stare.
“I mean, I can’t believe he did that. What an awful human being.”
She laughed and picked up her purse. “Brunch tomorrow, if you’re not screwing Hayden again?”
“Sure.” I nodded and waited for her to leave.
I reread the letter from the skating committee a few more times, wishing that they’d written me sooner.
As I was weighing the pros and cons, Hayden stepped into my office again.
“I thought I asked you to leave, sir.” I placed the letter into the drawer as he walked over to me. “I’m busy at work.”
“You were busy discussing us fucking.” He smiled, pulling me up by my hands. “Very interesting recap.”
“You eavesdropped?”
“I briefly took notes on the second half.” He pushed me against the wall. “If you wanted more, you shouldn’t have left.”
“I have a job, Hayden.”
“You’re self-employed.” He pressed a kiss against my lips. “And your only client for the day left over an hour ago.”
“I have tons of other things to do.”
“I know,” he said, covering my mouth with his. “I’m one of them.”
“Did you overhear the part when I said I wanted to have sex on the ice with you someday?”
“I did.” He slid a hand under my shirt. “We’ll get to that next.”
Thirty One (B)
Present Day
Hayden
Hayden Hunter’s Gala Raises $10M for Charity
* * *
Tinder Sues Cinder, Again: Why They Might Win The Case This Time Around
* * *
Chicago Woman Crafts Line of Vibrators Inspired by Hayden Hunter’s “Member”
* * *
Fifteen Reasons Why We Think Hayden Hunter Is Currently Celibate
Thirty-Two
Present Day
Penelope
In my office. On the ice. In his office. On the roof. All over every surface in his condo.
Not a day had gone by that Hayden and I hadn’t had sex. On the one hand, I felt like we were making up for years of repressed attraction and unrequited yearning.
On the other, we’d lost our late-night phone conversations, all-day texts, and meet-ups in Central Park; I didn’t want to lose those things over sex, no matter how phenomenal it was.
I swiped my key at his penthouse suite Friday afternoon—hoping to catch him when he arrived home from work.
When I pushed the door open, I found him reading a newspaper near his windows.
“Yes, Penelope?” He smiled at me. “Breaking and entering is a crime, you know.”
“Not when you have a key.” I blushed. “I didn’t think you would be home yet.”
He set down the paper and walked over to me. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk shit about my new boyfriend,” I said. “But the guy I usually talk about this kind of thing with is my boyfriend.”
“Hmmm.” He smiled. “Would you like to call Tatiana instead?”
“She’s still in-flight from L.A. She won’t land for another two hours.”
“I see. What’s the problem with your boyfriend?”
“We haven’t done much of anything except have sex.”
“Oh?” He looked amused.
“I know he’s supposed to be laying low with his scandals and all, but I feel like he knows me well enough to take me out somewhere. Don’t get me wrong, I mean, the sex is beyond phenomenal, and it’s the best I’ve ever had, but I loved our friendship.”
He didn’t say anything.
“This is the part when you join me in talking shit about him.”
Laughing, he took out his wallet and pulled out two tickets. “Your boyfriend was planning to take you to a private premiere tonight. This was after he took you to dinner atop the Empire State Building, and after his security team cleared a path for a private walk through Central Park.”
My cheeks heated as he wrapped his arms around my waist.
“I think your boyfriend knows you very well and you should try to be patient with him since you’re his first,” he said. “He’s trying to be the best boyfriend you’ve ever had.”
He already is. “When were you planning to start tonight’s date?”
“Around ten.”
“If I said that I wanted to have sex first, would that make me a hypocrite?”
“Only if I granted your request.” He clasped my hand and led me out of his condo and onto the elevator. “Let’s do something else first.”
As the car moved down, I stared up at him. “Tell me something that I don’t already know about you.”
“I DVR your brother’s press conferences and watch them later,” he said. “Even though I tell him that I watch them live.”
“I’m usually there when you do that.” I laughed. “Tell me something else.”
“I sent an apology letter to my father today,” I said.
“What on earth are you sorry to him for?”
“Not feeling the need to reconnect or fix anything between us,” he said, looking at me. “I have everyone I want in my life already, and I have no desire to reconnect with strangers. Your turn.”
The doors glided open, and I thought long and hard about something I hadn’t already shared with him.
When we made it into his car, I let out a sigh.
“I used to have the biggest crush on you. No, I actually liked you.”
“What? When was this?”
“A long time ago.”
“Before or after our Cold War?”
“Definitely not after.” I rolled my eyes. “It was fleeting, though. I think it lasted a week or so.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“Because you would’ve turned me down and said that you were too old for me.”
“Hmmm,” he said. “Probably.”
“Did you ever like me?”
“No, Penelope.” He laughed. “You were just a friend, then.”
“Well, thank goodness I never told you.”
“Exactly.” He leaned over and kissed me. “The walk from the elevator to my car counts as doing ‘something else’ before sex, right?”
“Absolutely.”
Break Up #15
The One That Never Existed
Hayden
&nb
sp; There’s a park bench hidden under an oak tree canopy on Covington Avenue, and it’s become my go-to meet-up spot with Penelope on Sunday nights. It’s close enough to her rink and my rented office space that we can both walk there within ten minutes.
When we first found it, we called Travis via video chat to catch up on things with us, but after he continued to no-show or cancel at the last minute, we’ve kept it to ourselves.
Taking my seat, I see Penelope walking toward me from afar. Dressed in her typical sweats and oversized T-shirt, she looks more like a skateboarder than a figure skater.
She’s fucking beautiful.
“Why the face?” I ask, noticing her scowl. “You’re still ranked number one in the world, and you just got paid two hundred dollars to give a speech full of platitudes to high schoolers.”
“Platitudes?” She crosses her arms. “I put my heart and soul into writing that speech.”
“You remixed a bunch of quotes from Pinterest.”
“Thank you for un-remixing them for me.” She smiles, but she doesn’t let it stay. “Stephen broke up with me today.”
“Why?”
She shrugs. “I don’t remember what he said. I don’t even care.”
“Wasn’t your boyfriend from four weeks ago named Stephen, too?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“You think so? If you’re forgetting your boyfriends’ names this quickly, you’re getting into my territory.”